


Thoughts of You as Snow Falls

by EternalDarkEyes



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Canon Related, Fluff and Angst, Frame Narrative, Happy Ending, M/M, Magic, MakoHaru Secret Santa Gift Exchange 2018, Pining, mild mentions of violence and death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 04:23:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17542610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalDarkEyes/pseuds/EternalDarkEyes
Summary: "The water was calling him. He ran along its banks, legs immediately taking the familiar paths that were well worn by his and Makoto’s years of play. He sprinted until he came to the great expanse of river that may have stolen his friend.'Did you take him!?' he asked, voice heaving as he fought to catch his breath. 'Did you take Makoto?'The gentle splash of the ebbing surf was his only answer. Haruka stepped forward, the water grasping at this toes. He tried again.'Did you take Makoto!?'The water did not reply.Haruka pressed forward, wading in until the water lapped about his waist. He prepared to try again, inhaling deeply to offer the greatest cry he could muster. But before he could utter another word, the current swept him off his feet and he found himself taking in water."-A MakoHaru Free! fanfic based loosely on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen"





	Thoughts of You as Snow Falls

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TripCreates](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TripCreates/gifts).



> My contribution to the MakoHaru Secret Santa 2018. Written for Trip (@bekasyura)

 

“No! I don’t want to!” Ran declared, stamping her foot to punctuate her statement.

“But we have to go bed! It’s already so late! What if Haru onii-san gets in trouble ‘cuz we’re still up when Mom and Dad get home?” Ren countered, fingers picking at the hem of his pajamas in an agitated rhythm.

Ran stuck her tongue at him, and Ren returned the gesture with equal vigor. Haru decided that he probably should step in before things escalated further. He was sure there wouldn’t be any repercussions for him if the twins were still awake when the rest of the family returned. Still, after pulling such a quick trip to and from Tokyo over the weekend, he knew Makoto and his parents would be very tired when they returned. A part of him still wished he could have gone to help Makoto find an apartment for university. However, he knew he was needed here. The twins would accept no one else to watch them.

Ran made a feral growling noise at Ren who responded by holding his hands up to his ears and singing loudly.

It had indeed been a very long weekend. Haru let out a long sigh then he paused again to ask himself: What would Makoto do if he were here?

Aw, yes.

Haru nimbly stepped over a pile of legos to the bookshelf lining the wall. Pushing aside a couple stuffed animals, he rested on his knees to examine the books.

“Hey! I get to choose the story!” Ran exclaimed, abandoning her fight with her brother to instead join Haru at the bookshelf.

“No, you chose last time!” Ren accused, squeezing himself between his sister and Haru so he also could scan the familiar titles.

Haru reached around the squabbling siblings to grab a small novel lodged between two large picture books. The twins gasped in unison as the cover revealed a beautiful woman dressed in white and two children standing in the billowing snow surrounding her.

“How about _The Snow Queen_?” Haru offered, already standing up to carefully make his way across the children’s messy room to seat himself at the foot of Ren’s bed.

“Yes!” Ran squealed, bounding over the toys and attaching herself to Haru’s side.

“I dunno,” Ren countered. “Onii-san doesn’t like that story. He says it gives him nightmares.”

“Well, Haru will make it not scary! Right, Haru? Just like when you explained that weird fish game you are always playing with Onii-san. First all the fish looked scary, but you made it a lot less scary after you gave them funny names.”

Haru managed a shrug before he wrangled his arm free from her grasp so he could properly open the book. After quickly scanning the first page of the first chapter, he consented that perhaps some name changes would make the odd western story more appealing.

“You each get to choose one name then. What should the boy’s name be, Ran?” Haru delegated.

“Makoto, of course! Onii-san has the best name,” Ran said.

“Onii-san has a girly name…” Ren whispered, a comment of which the other two immediately ignored.

“What should his best friend’s name be?” Haru asked Ren instead.

“Well, it can’t be anyone else but you, Haru onii-san,” Ren conceded. Ran immediately agreed, “Yes! Makoto and Haru! I think all the characters should have new names then. Haru onii-san, you can do that, right?”

Haru shifted himself into a more comfortable position, motioning the twins to do the same. The novel suddenly felt very heavy in his hands, and not for the first time this weekend did he wonder if he was doing the right thing. A glance at the clock told him that the twins really ought to be asleep soon, and nothing could guarantee that like a long story. Besides, the twins were not the only ones eager for a promised homecoming.

“Ok, I will read this however you like as long as you do not fight anymore today.” he said, opening the book again. The twins arranged themselves comfortably amongst their pillows and blankets. Their eyes shone bright, eager for Haru to begin. After a deep exhale and then inhale, Haru titled this new abridgment.

“This is the story of Makoto, Haruka, and the Snow Queen.”

* * *

 

There once was a mirror birthed by the hands of evil incarnate. Though it’s craftsmanship was delicate and the object very beautiful, it would not reflect a single good or beautiful thing upon its polished surface. Instead, it would show only the ugly and disturbed amplified until it would consume all hope within the viewer, leaving them shells of who they once were.

One fateful day, the mirror fell and broke. Its smooth surface fracturing into fragments as fine as sand. It was said that even if so much as a speck found its way into your eye, you would be blinded of all good in the world. And if you were so unfortunate as to have a piece strike your heart, your very soul would freeze over.

But such thoughts were far from the minds of most people in this land. In a small village based at the foot of the mountains stood two homes on either side of a small brook. And each day, two children from these homes would meet to play along the waterside beneath the sprawling branches of the cherry trees.

The boy with brown hair and infectious smile was known as Makoto, and his friend with eyes like the ocean’s depths was called Haruka.

Makoto and Haruka had been friends for as long as they could remember. On warm spring days like today, they would run around the trunks of the old blossoming trees until they ultimately fell into the familiar embrace of the brook’s flowing water.

On this day, Haruka floated languidly in a quiet pool near the large rock Makoto was carefully perched upon. As the sun slowly warmed him from his swim, he counted the cherry blossom petals that gathered like a crown around Haruka’s head.

“Haru-chan, I want us to be like this forever. Where spring makes everything beautiful and you can swim as much as you like.”

“It can’t always be like this, Makoto,” Haruka said quietly, careful to not disturb the water as he spoke. “You shouldn’t speak nonsense.”

Makoto laughed, letting a toe dip in just enough to flick some water to disturb Haruka’s peaceful stance. Haruka’s eyes slitted open to give Makoto a brief glare before he returned to his floating.

“I’m happy you enjoy this place too,” Makoto said. A soft wind tousled the branches above them and a new wave of petals flurried about. This moment would be a memory they both treasured as the seasons flowed. Too soon snow flurries replaced their beloved blossomed afternoons.

Huddled together, Makoto and Haruka shared a blanket as each sipped a cup of hot tea. Haruka’s grandmother sat across from them. The flickering flames from the hearth casting her face with shadows. Makoto tucked himself closer as the wind outside howled and Grandmother’s voice rose intrinsically as she told her story.

“Nights like this mean only one thing. With snow so sudden and cold. Winds like wolves biting at your ears. Frost on the window panes that refuses to melt no matter how hot your breath. She must be riding her sleigh of ice along the mountains, freezing all that behold her. The Snow Queen is with us tonight.”

A cold hand took Haruka’s into its grasp. Makoto looked oddly calm though his trembling fingers betrayed him.

“No ice could ever separate us. I won’t ever let her take you, Haru-chan!” Makoto declared, his usually hopeful expression starkly determined as his eyes reflected the hearth’s burning flame.

“Careful what you say, Makoto!” Grandmother warned, but her voice fell upon deaf ears as the wind forced the kitchen windows open and the air was filled with white.

Makoto gasped sharply as the winds impaled them. Haruka abandoned the protection of the blanket to fight the wind and clasp the windows shut again. Prying fingers of snow fought against him. Just before the panes snapped closed, he met the eyes of winter Herself.

Haruka’s skin burned as the fingers of cold slowly released him of their grip. He moved away from the window to return to the warmth next to his best friend. However, instead he was met with the sight of his grandmother kneeling next to the crumpled blanket. Haruka rushed to their side, peeling back the frozen folds to find his friend writhing in pain.

“Makoto! Makoto!” he called as he tried to pull his friend into his arms. He was met with a violent shove that sent him backwards, knocking the air from his lungs as he sharply hit the ground.

“Back off!” Makoto snarled, voice twisted in a way Haruka could scarcely believe actually came from his friend’s lips. “I’m no infant. Stop treating me like one!” Makoto stood up from where he lay previously, eyes now dull and lips downturned. Throwing the blanket aside, he stomped to the door, pausing only to meet Haruka’s stare. With a last gruff snarl, Makoto spat in their direction and then went out into the night.

Haruka’s grandmother took him into her arms, offering her own shawl to warm him. As she pressed him to her and gently rocked, Haruka faintly realized that where he had touched Makoto moments before stung raw like ripped skin from ice.

“What happened?” Haruka managed to quietly say into the warmth of his grandmother’s hold.

“I fear we will forever regret this night,” she answered.

The next day, the snow glowed smooth and white. No footprints could be found that could direct where Makoto may have gone. His parents feared the worst. When the ice finally began to melt and winter began to die, the families were dismayed to find a single mitten frozen among the thawing banks of the river their own little tributary brook drained into.

Though Makoto’s mother confirmed it has his, Haruka refused to believe that the water had claimed his friend.

Spring pushed past the violence of winter. Though the cherry blossom trees hung heavy with flowers and the brook gurgled its familiar song, Haruka declined to acknowledge them. Instead, he sat quietly. His eyes intent upon the flow of water. And just as his eyes began to grow heavy and the beckon of the warm sun urged him to sleep, he heard something.

_Come_

_Come!_

Haruka quickly rose to his feet, ears straining to hear the voice again. It had to of been the water! It was calling him. He ran along its banks, legs immediately taking the familiar paths that were well worn by his and Makoto’s years of play. He sprinted until he came to the great expanse of river that may have stolen his friend.

“Did you take him!?” he asked, voice heaving as he fought to catch his breath. “Did you take Makoto?”

The gentle splash of the ebbing surf was his only answer. Haruka stepped forward, the water grasping at this toes. He tried again.

“Did you take Makoto?”

The water did not reply.

Haruka pressed forward, wading in until the water lapped about his waist. He prepared to try again, inhaling deeply to offer the greatest cry he could muster. But before he could utter another word, the current swept him off his feet and he found himself taking in water.

It swirled around him like fine silks that both comforted and contorted him. Tighter and tighter they wound about him until all breath bubbled away towards a distant light above him. As the darkness curled his vision, he heard them.

He is not ours to have taken.

Then light pierced his eyes like a hot blade through butter. He recoiled as his vision swam, but a sharp tug and and sharper jab to the abdomen had him coughing up water and finally breathing in life giving air.

“Ya planning on dying today, kid?” a voice called from above. After a moment of struggled recovery, Haruka managed to look up. Dark red filled his vision before he let himself collapse again into the black.

\---

When Haruka awoke, he found himself in a place he had never seen before. He lay in a bed larger than his family’s kitchen. The sheets were smooth and cool to the touch. Beyond the bed were large pieces of furniture that dwarfed the humble cupboard his family shared at home. The room was lit by a large window that bathed the room in a pearly white light. Glass flowers decorated the edges of the panes. Together, they framed the view of the outside. A brilliant garden spread as far as he could see. Curious, he left the bed and took a step forward for a better view.

“You’re awake. Took ya ‘while.”

Haruka spun back to face his savior. It was a man, tall and muscled. He wore loose clothes of a fashion Haruka had never seen before. Stark whites and heavily patterned reds wound about him, held in place by leather straps. His hair shone red in the morning light, worn long much like a woman’s would be. Haruka might have called him beautiful if not for the slyness that lit his smouldering gaze.

“Where am I?” Haruka asked upon deciding he was in no immediate danger.

“Fished ya out the river, half-drowned you were. Fix ya up, and this my thanks?” No malice steeled the man’s voice. He walked over, and easily arranged himself upon the bed. Propping himself up with a fist, he examined Haruka from afar.

“Ya have a name?”

After a pause, Haruka responded, “Haru.”

“Rin,” the man offered with a glinting smile. “Pleased to see you're still with us. So what brings ya to my banks?”

Haruka was quick to reply that that was none of his business, but stopped himself when he realized he did not know why he was here either.

Rin read his expression immediately. “Mmm, thought that was the case. Well, no one here but me. You are welcome to stay ‘til ya figure something out.” Drawing himself from the bed, Rin stood at his full height again. “Might as well show ya around. Pride myself a bit this place.”

Haruka reluctantly followed. The bedroom was connected to an expansive central room with doors and halls hiding away places with purposes Haruka could not imagine. Rin discussed various paintings on the walls. Most were of landscapes and flowers unfamiliar to Haruka. One depicting a great beast with finger-like horns crowning its head took his interest. Rin explained it to be a reindeer, an animal known only in the coldest of places. He fondly nudged the corner of the portrait with a fist before whirling around to face Haruka again.

“How ‘bout we make ourselves useful? You grab that watering jug and I’ll show you a sight like never before.”

Haruka quickly grabbed the appointed jug and followed Rin out the door. However, he nearly dropped it upon seeing the great expanses of foliage that flourished before him. Green spread out in plush hills with leaves dancing like billowing skirts. Flowers of every shape and color adorned them like jewels. The fragrance was near intoxicating as he was filled with a molten warmth unlike anything a blanket could offer.

Together, he wandered with Rin through the gardens. Rin’s carefully draped clothes fell like a paintbrush, leaving everything behind somehow more vibrant and green. Haruka’s senses were so completely enveloped by the spectacle surrounding him, he failed to realize a large gnarled root had ensnared his foot. Caught unawares, he came tumbling down, jug crashing beside him. Startled, he made his way quickly to his knees to survey the mess he made. The jug had cracked cleanly in two, the contents pooling at the base of a barren tree.

“Bit clumsy. No worries though. You can make me another,” Rin said easily as he helped bring Haruka to his feet. “How bout some lunch? Fished us something nice this morning’”. Rin turned again with a blur of skirts, and led Haruka back to the cottage.

Haruka quickly followed, hands roughly pushing his hair out of his face.

That night, Haruka lay awake. Breath controlled and eyes carefully closed. Only once the cottage had long gone still and the moon had risen to its full height did he let himself sneak from his bed. Slowly walking through the central room, he spied Rin asleep in a tall armchair facing one of the many paintings. Carefully he unlatched the door, and pressed it open.

He was greeted with the same enveloping smell of the garden. Quickly, he tucked his nose into his collar. With light steps, he followed the path’s newly saturated greens until he came to the broken jug and, astonishingly, the pooled water at the base of the barren tree. Steeling himself for one last moment, he forced himself forward that he might see his reflection. What the water revealed confirmed his fears. The person who looked back at him was familiar but distinctly older. The roundness of cheeks lessened and his hair much longer than his mother’s preferred short fringe.

How long had he been here?

“So ya found out again, hm?”

Haruka’s fists clenched into the mossy base of the tree, but he refused to turn around.

“Must of overdone the potency this round. Took all the mirrors, and still you manage a way to see yourself.”

Haruka chanced a look backwards to meet the eyes of his captor. Rin looked as he had all day. Beautiful. Vibrant. Enchanting.

“Why are you doing this?” Haruka managed, fear tickling his throat.

“Always askin’ the same questions. When are you gonna learn?” Rin sighed, shifting his weight to a different leg and running a hand through his flaming hair. A glint of moonlight caught Haruka’s eye as he did so and something within him stirred. Instinctually he shot forward and tackled Rin. They both fell into the plush foliage, Rin batting away Haruka as he tried to reach what had caught his eye. Instantly Rin went rigid as Haruka pulled forcefully on his right ear. Between Haruka’s fingers was a miniature bough of tree branches, its pink blossoms delicate against the tips of his fingers.

“Haru! Careful with that!” Rin managed, eyes somehow soft now as lay pinned beneath Haruka’s knees.

“I know these flowers,” Haruka breathed.

“No! Stop! Don’t!!” Rin pleaded.

“These are cherry blossoms.”

The blossoms of the charm began to swell, petals growing and dividing until a strong wind blew them away. Following their dance, Haruka watched as they strung themselves along the empty branches of the barren tree. Growing and growing until clouds of pale pink eclipsed the moon’s light. And with their growth came their song.

_Hidden love in plain sights due_

_He who still waits for you_

_Roots spread far beneath the ground_

_Your friend could not be found_

At first they chimed like whispers of leaves. But with each repeated chorus, the voices wilted. It was not until the night was still and the tree stood silent that Haruka recognized the sound of tears behind him.

Rin was curled up upon himself, brilliant robes muddied by their scuffle. Haruka tentatively moved forward, resting on his knees beside the sobbing man.

“Didn’t mean any harm.” Rin whispered from beneath a shielding hand. “It’d just been so long. So long. No one to share this with. No one. Always alone.”

Something had clicked within Haruka. The blossoms awakening something that had long been asleep.

“We would always play beneath the cherry blossom trees. That's why you hid them from me. You made me forget Makoto.”

Rin’s tears continued to run, and Haruka stayed silent by his side. Finally, Rin pushed himself up. The brilliant glow that seemed to halo him had dimmed, and now he appeared plain and dull. Still his eyes burned their familiar red as he met Haruka’s stare.

“He isn’t dead. The flowers said so just now. If you cast the water from the pool at their base, it will point you to the direction of your friend.”

Haruka nodded his understanding. He stood up and prepared himself to depart when a hand on his shirt stopped him.

Rin released him only to slip a ring from his own hand. Taking Haruka’s smaller hand in his own, he slipped the ring onto his thumb. “This will protect you from any enchantment so never again will you forget your purpose.”

Though Haruka could have sworn the ring would have been too big. It fit his thumb perfectly. Its stone reminiscent of Rin’s fiery eyes.

Finally stepping away from Rin, Haruka cupped his hands together and drew from the pool. Stepping back again, he let it drain from his fingers. The wind took the stream of water then, bending it to form a line to Haruka’s right. There it stood for a breath’s time before splashing to the ground and quickly being absorbed by the mosses.

Now with direction and remembered purpose, Haruka pressed forward. As he neared the edge of the flowers, Rin called out.

“You’re a good friend, Haru.”

Refusing to look back, Haruka left the garden.

His first step off the painstakingly manicured lands shocked Haruka with chill as the green rippled into autumn’s dying breath. His last memories were of spring, but while frozen in the gardens, the outside has known summer and now prepared for winter. Haruka cursed his carelessness as he continued forward, bare toes stinging.

The forests that surrounded him were in stark contrast to those that surrounded Haruka’s mountainside home. The trees bore no flaming foliage and the underbrush hissed with each step. The shadows seemed to stare as he continued his way, but Haruka let himself think only of how he may return a smile to the most precious of faces.

The sun rose but refused to warm the air it filled. And when it sank low on the horizon, the snarled canopy split its last rays casting Haruka again into premature darkness. As the stars moved above him in a drunken dance, Haruka found himself on his back staring up at them. Exhaustion paralyzed his muscles and slowed his thoughts. The stars flickered above him in a slow circular pattern until a dark angel lay claim to him, claws cutting into his chest.

“Fool, Fool! Wake up!”

The pain urged Haruka to try again. Pushing himself up, he managed to direct a glare at the offending messenger for it was no angel but a crow.

“You mustn’t sleep here, silly child. Robbers and beasts roam these lands. Run home to your mum. She shan’t be worried much longer.”

The crow was far larger than any swallow or robin that chorused his home wood. Its beautiful black feathers shone purple in the moonlight. It stared at him intently through a silver monocle miraculously perched upon its thin beak.

Haruka forced himself to speak. “I’m looking for my friend. He has eyes like emeralds and words soft as blossom petals. Have you seen him, Crow?”

“Crow? Dear me, I am Sir Rei of their Majesty’s court! Forgive my poor introductions. I fear I know not of any emerald-eyed child nor words spoken like flowers breath, or such posh you proposed. Though such a soul does seem of much importance for you to waste your youth here. Come, my love shall know your answer! For he knows all the goings and the comings; it is his way”.

Haruka attempted pursuit, but the earth lay claim to him still. Sir Rei let out an irritated call before sinking his claws through Haruka’s shirt and lifting him to his feet.

“Walk, child. It would be most unbecoming to have to watch you spend your last days here. Now walk!”

And slowly, with the occasional brush of midnight wings, Haruka moved forward. As the sun’s first calls of morning stained the sky, the two came to a small home built in a tree. The sight of the ladder did Haruka in, and his last memory was of two pairs of beady eyes staring down at him.

\---

He woke to the pang of his stomach as the smell of food filled his senses. He found himself this time surrounded by a humble crow home. Sir Rei was perched upon a cushioned branch, a book upright on a small stand consuming his attention. And to the left another crow, with golden rays of sun dyed into his feathers, tended a fire and kettle.

“Oh, well have us a look, Rei-chan! He woke to my fine cooking. I knew your awful singing from earlier was no good. Only good food can rouse a boy his age.”

“Dear, the house smells of strawberries and rancid cheese. The child will no sooner choose your cooking then throw himself from our window. Come now, lets see how he is.”

Both crows took two hops before settling themselves by the nest Haruka lay in. The new crow looked pleased despite the cruel words of Sir Rei; choosing to instead steal his monocle and begin to speak in poor imitation.

“Now dearest of childs of the lands we live, mayhaps you may delight us your humble servants with a title in which we may praise thee?”

“Nagisa, you are simply terrible.”

“Haru,” Haruka cut in before the rally continued. “I’m looking for my friend.”

“Indeed! Rei-chan told me all about him. Emerald eyes and blossomed chest?”

“No, it was blossomed breath!” Rei interjected.

“He just speaks softly is what I meant,” Haruka sighed.

“Lucky you, I know of just a fellow!” Nagisa exclaimed, feathers bristling in pride. “He resides in the castle. I can take you there! Tonight even, for that is when the guard is down.”

“Nagisa, you know you were banished from the castle. No one appreciated your last visit.”

“Well, I am not visiting! I am only helping a dear friend, that right Haru-chan?”

And so Nagisa fed Haruka sweet strawberry stew and weaved together a plan for Makoto’s rescue.

They waited until the dark of night claimed the castle, and slowly made their way passed the guard. Up winding halls of gleaming stone painted by glass-dyed moonlight. At the top of the highest tower, Haruka’s heart jumped to his throat as a familiar mop of hair peaked above plush covers.

“Makoto!”

Haruka flung himself forward, eager to see the face of his friend. But silken quilts revealed not his sought treasure, but the round face of a small child and next to him another. And that child began to scream.

“Guards! Intruder! My prince brother is being attacked! Help!”

As the sister screamed her alert, the brother watched Haruka with gently watering eyes similar to Makoto’s but a spring-kissed hazel rather than emerald. He was not Makoto. It was all for false pursuit.

Two pairs of taloned feet tore at his back in an attempt to break for safety, but it was not until the metaled hands of royal guards began to drag him away did he let himself break the shared stare with the young prince. Eyes closed, he bid his heart to resign in defeat.

“As son of his majesty, I, Prince Ren, command you to stop,” a voice declared with ferocity of a mouse but the authority of a king. Haruka opened his eyes again to witness this mistake continue to unfold. Instead, a hand took his and drew him to the foot of the bed. Prince Ren studied him closely before continuing.

“You don’t look like someone evil. You look too sad and small to do much harm. Forgive my sister. Princess Ran thought only to protect me. But it seems the one in need of help is you. Please guards, release his friends. Let them speak.”

Nagisa and Sir Rei were released with a squawk. Both immediately bowed their heads in respect. Haruka turned from them to meet the wide eyes of his advocate. The worry and care they radiated made his heart clench for want of his friend. And with that memory gracing his breath, Haruka pushed himself to explain.

“I’m sorry for my mistake. My name is Haru, and I’m looking for my friend. He was stolen from me by last winter’s freeze. He is my heart and I am lost without him. Sir Rei and Nagisa thought our meeting might be of help. But I fear we have only harmed you.”

“Oh, that is so sad!” Princess Ran said, taking a place at Haruka’s side as well. “This sounds like the work of She Who Rules Winter’s Name. We must help you! Right, Ren?”

Haruka turned again to the child prince who clung to his side. He stared back at him, a small fire alight in his eyes.

“Yes. Your words ring true, and my heart has been touched. Let us begin preparations immediately. Haru must be reunited with his friend!”

With a flurry of action, the castle was alight. Herbal baths were drawn that soothed Haruka’s blistering feet. His hair was shorn short to its familiar fringe. The twin royals picked him a thick quilted doublet and embroidered leather coat. Sir Rei helped him manage the ties of his padded winter boots, and Nagisa fitted him with a hood lined with his own feathers. A coach was brought forth with its own footman and driver. Before Haruka was packed away in its buggy, he watched as both Nagisa and Sir Rei were pardoned on basis of commendable citizenship.

After a kiss from each crowned child, Haruka was swept away from the castle just as the sun began to rise to his right. Above he could hear Sir Rei and Nagisa bid their farewells with long, loud calls until a mighty wind stole their voices. Haruka watched them take roost in a tree, their figures growing more indistinct as the wheels followed the path. They were headed northward to lands where snow never ceased and it was said She reigned in solitude. And there, somewhere lost in the cold, he knew he would find Makoto.

The road meandered through the wood. The forest again grew feral and quiet as the distance between them and the castle grew. The path increasingly became uneven, often jostling Haruka from his seat. Securing himself up again, Haruka let himself imagine that Makoto might have laughed had he been able to see Haruka padded so heavily and being bounced about in a king’s coach. A memory of Makoto pulling Haruka about in his father’s handcart flickered across his mind. Makoto would have much enjoyed riding in a carriage such as this. Instead, trail dust was Haruka’s sole companion as the horses drew on.

After two days of travel, the coachman alerted Haruka that they would be stopping again for the night. After splitting their rations for the evening, the men bid him good-night and retired to their tent. Haruka made himself a bed upon the cushioned seat within the carriage and let the soft nicker of grazing horses lull him to sleep.

There was no moon when Haruka was jolted awake by the sound of shattering glass. He bolted upward to see a hand reach through and unlatch the door. Haruka drew back as far as he could, but his leg was seized and he was dragged out of the carriage.

Loud voices drowned his thoughts as rough hands grabbed his face and spittle blinded him. He tried to call out for help, but a moment of clarity revealed that their campsite now was a burning hell scene. The men around him tore into a scuffle, bartering amongst themselves as they claimed Haruka’s belongings. Suddenly aware of a weight upon his thumb, Haruka threw the appenage into his mouth. Quickly, he slid Rin’s ring off with his teeth, and locked his jaw shut as his arm was torn away. The winter air prickled his skin as he was left only in the poor man’s clothes his mother had given him a lifetime ago. With the gifts of the castle ransacked, greedy eyes were cast upon him again until a loud voice put a halt to their intentions.

“He’s mine!”

A tall figure leapt in from above. The glow of wildfire revealing a slim boy with a twisting grin.

“The little prince is mine! Anyone dare think otherwise, and I’ll add yer ears to my collection!”

The boy punctuated the threat by brandishing a gleaming dagger. No challenger questioned the claim, and the crowd dispersed in search of further treasure to dig up and distribute.

With a swift kick to the stomach, Haruka fell down to his knees. The ring clicked against his teeth, but he managed to swallow a gasp. The boy towered above him now.

“I am Kisumi, the prince of these thieves. You have no power here. From now on, you are mine to do as I wish.” Kisumi ripped him up from the ground with a violent pull on his collar. “Do we have an understanding, little prince?”

Haruka clenched his jaw tighter, jerking his head to the side as a tear managed to streak a line down the soot on his face. Kisumi’s laughter trilled above the horror as Haruka was dragged to the robbers’ wagon.

The robbers had laid claim to a ghost of a castle. Where the twins royal lived among silks and pearls, the robbers heckled amongst rotting wood and pools of drainage. Crowds mimicked the untamed flames, bending and flailing in a loose dance. Voices crashing together in drunken celebration. Kisumi pulled Haruka quickly away from these masses, shoving him up several flights of stairs and then down into a nest of stolen furs.

“Mind yer self. I know all my treasures. Your head is mine if so much as a pebble is out of place.” Despite the threat, Kisumi danced in a practiced fashion about his den. A mindless tune warmed his voice as he brandished his collection of jeweled swords and smeared fragranced oils into his tousled pink hair. A single candle lent light to walls stacked high with Kisumi’s treasures, and in the shadows haunted eyes watched silently.

“I’m not like those animals down there. I am every bit as artful and sophisticated as you, little prince. I can even read!”

Haruka’s expression was pinched, but he solemnly remained silent as Kisumi began pulling up books to flaunt at him.

“This one’s about gods gone dead. And this one’s about a land of sand and summer. And this one’s my favorite. Its about warriors who fought to the death just cuz the king said so!”

Haruka continued to stare down his captor, and Kisumi responded with a hyena’s laugh.

“If you think your so much better than me, then tell me your best story! No one knows the world better than me. What do you know? Always stuffed away in a castle? Give me your best!”

Kisumi circled about, cat-like eyes intent upon Haruka. Drawing close, he took Haruka’s face between his fingers. Candlelight danced in his eyes as he bore into Haruka’s soul.

“Cat got yer tongue? Born a mute maybe. Or…” Kisumi released Haruka to step away and grab a tarnished sword. “Ya hiding something?”

Before Haruka could prepare himself, the thief whirled around with a dancer’s grace. The hilt of the sword made contact with Haruka’s chest and he toppled to the ground with a pained cry. The shining ring flew from his mouth and clattered upon a cracked tile.

Kisumi slinked over, gathering the ring easily from the cold stone and placing it upon his middle finger.

“How kind. A little gift from my little prince. Thank you for keeping it safe for me.”

Haruka recoiled, hot tears threatening and lungs refusing breath. Kisumi siddled in next to him, casting a languid arm around his shoulders.

“Hush, sweet one. I love it. Now come and give me a story. No more secrets.”

The thief's fingers were like talons, and Haruka found himself face to face with a demon. His hands could have tore into that conniving monster, but instead he found his heart beating hard as blurred memories came fast. Ones of sweet smiles and cold hands. Races down grassy hills and counting kittens in the neighbor’s barn. How he wished Makoto was with him. If only to give him the courage to keep going. So he opened his mouth, and came to peace knowing that if these words would be his last, then they would be devoted to only one person.

“There once were two boys who were friends since birth. They loved to play along the brook that ran between their houses. One was dark and sullen. Never knew what to say. And the other was like the sun and loved with all his heart. They dreamed of spending forever together and never imagined that it wouldn’t come true. Then one winter, the snow came in like knives. It seemed to cut people’s hearts open and freeze all that was good inside. Such a snow took the heart of the golden boy, and his eyes became like ice. He disappeared into the snow and was taken up by She Who Knows Not Summer. The town cursed the rivers, but the other boy knew it was not so. He followed the river until it took him to a lone sorcerer who fogged his mind. Still he pushed through. A dying forest tried to rid him, yet he was saved by kindness’s soft wing. Then on the sure path to winter Herself, fire stole his spirit and now he lies here to die.

“I don’t care that you have robbed me of fineries and treasures. I can’t save the lives you have taken. But there is someone who needs me and I cannot live my life without him.”

Tears fell freely, but none stained Haruka’s cheeks. The thief prince shook as emotion drowned him. He turned away from Haruka, hiding himself beneath a fur. Soft sobs filled the night air, the drunken crowds below long lost to sleep’s satisfaction.

Haruka stared upward from where they lay. The moon had risen and her grace dripped through the cracks above him. He recognized the soft flutter of wings and watched as two doves come to dance in the light. Thread-like chains sparkling below them.

_“Stolen brother, our hearts know thee. The Snow Queen’s lands lay not far from here. You must press on!”_

_“Yes, you must!”_ a voice echoed, this time from a small cage beneath a fallen bookshelf. A white rabbit starred out blindly, ears upright and unyielding. _“She knows not love, so she took yours. Go before it is too late!”_

“Sh-Shut up! Blasted animals you all!” Kisumi roared, sitting upward to throw a fist into the bedding and then to thrash about. “All these years, you’ve watched me lead my life alone and not once spoke! What of friendship and love that breaks your silence? Has my hellish life not melted your hearts? His plea a key to your voices?”

 _“Child, long have you been deaf. You have witnessed love and now may know us,”_ a white fox said from his leashed place beneath a window.

Glowing eyes then met Haruka’s and he was surprised to find them softened in moon’s light. Kisumi placed a hand upon Haruka’s heart, fisting the material of his shirt with dirtied hands.

“I know of the wind’s bite of which ya speak for it stole my own mum’s heart. I wasn’t always a criminal. I was even a boy like you. But she was struck cold and became ugly inside. She now rules these bands of crooks. I tried it all to return to the old times; read every book that I could take. Now I know the likes that did strike her. A shard of a mirror most evil, not even an angel could free itself of its grasp. I fear your friend has come to know such a fate. And now in the lands of the Snow Queen, it festers.

“And I, in my blindness, have stolen you from your mission. Even now, you glow with a loyalty that calls forth my dinner. My own prisoned pets deserting me the moment you speak. And still, I crave such blind devotion for I have not known it.”

Releasing his hold on Haruka’s shirt, Kisumi instead took his hand and slipped the shining red ring upon his finger.

“Long have I lived believing that there was only me. But now I know pain holds many, and I will not play blind any longer.”

From above, the doves whispered, _“He knows the way. The great winter beast knows you are here and wishes to see you. He can help you.”_ The doves then flew up again into the light before disappearing to perch in the shadows.

“Kisumi,” Haruka whispered. Kisumi reluctantly met his eye. “Will you help me?”

Kisumi starred a moment longer before letting a smile warm his face. “You’ve really got somethin’ special. I don’t think I could live with myself if I were to continue to stand in your way. Come, we must hurry before the filth below us wake!”

Kisumi ran to a dark corner and returned quickly with what Haruka realized were the gifts from the castle. The taller boy helped him into the doublet and coat. As Haruka fastened the straps of the boots once again, Kisumi paused, the hood in his hands.

His fingers trailed along the sun-dyed feathers, letting their plumes curl around his fingers. Yanking the hood upon his own head, he ran to the far side of the room, kicking open the rabbit’s cage with a crash. The fox’s leash was then ripped in two. And a pair of thread-thin chains fluttered to the ground as the doves took flight, ascending to their escape. Kisumi then took Haruka's hand again, and led him down the winding halls until they came to the stables.

Passed the horses, far from any window’s light, stood a great beast crowned with prongs of bone. Kisumi fell quickly to his knees, hands splayed out flat on top of the dirtied straw.

“Great beast. I have done you wrong. But I beg your kindness though you have not known it of me. This boy needs safe passage to the Snow Queen’s castle. Will you grant him your swift step?”

The beast stood tall, regal even despite its matted pelt and stink. Dark eyes met Haruka’s. No fear filled him, instead a fire warmed him as the connection continued. Taking a step forward, hand extended, Haruka made contact with its great muzzle. Suddenly, Rin’s ring burned red and with a flash the worn beast burned away to reveal a regal reindeer with a coat of silver. A warm voice spoke then.

_“This path you have chosen may yield no return. Do you fear Her?”_

“I know my friend, and that is all I need,” Haruka replied.

“Then I accept this task. Free me, thief, and we will be gone.”

Kisumi quickly unlatched the stall, and the reindeer stepped forward. Haruka scrambled up, and with a final shove from Kisumi, he was seated upon the snow beast’s back. Haruka weaved his fingers into the reindeer’s long pelt, curling his legs around its torso much like how his father had instructed him when he had first learned to ride the family mule. The reindeer stood strong beneath him unlike any animal Haruka had known before.

“Ya know? I never got your name. Before you go, if its ok…” Kisumi managed, skidding the toe of his boot into a dirt mound.

“Its Haru.”

“Aw, Haru,” Kisumi looked up then and managed a sly smile. “Well Haru, when you find him, better keep him close. Wouldn’t want anyone else stealin’ him.”

Haruka scoffed but let himself smile for a moment. The reindeer shook his withers before releasing a clouded breath. Then they were bounding through the cold. Kisumi waved enthusiastically, hood bouncing upon his rosy locks, as they darted towards the treeline. Haruka dug his hands in further and pressed close as the winds picked up. The animal was warm beneath him, and for a moment he dared to admire the heat of hope that burned within.

It was not an hour’s time that snow began to settle upon the reindeer’s shining coat, the cold seizing the land with white. The wind hurled clusters of snowflakes into Haruka’s eyes. Instinctually, he buried his nose deeper into the reindeer’s coat. The beast’s perpetual pace was comforting and he found his eyelids to be heavy. Quickly, he bit the inside of his cheek. The sting of pain brought tears to his eyes and a metallic taste to his tongue, but he relished in the pain. Before there were ever whispers of a Snow Queen, Haruka had long known of the dangers of sleeping in the cold. How it would lull you into slumber’s embrace only to starve you of warmth until your life was forfeit to its greed. He mustn't let consciousness escape his grasp for fear that death’s dark shadow lay just beyond his last dream.

Trees had long lost themselves to the ice, leaving behind a barren wasteland of snow. All water sources were frozen in time. No life dare touch this place. It was only Haruka, the reindeer, and the slowly fading path of footprints in the snow.

Haruka let himself wonder then about the mistress of this land. To be alone here in constant snow. To never know the velvet of a flower or the warmth of a hand. Only darkness, cutting cold, and the duty to spread destruction once a year. No one ever liked winter. It killed everything, forcing everyone to live on rations from the harvest ‘till spring. It seemed to even intimidate the sun, for the night run long in winter’s reign. Still, nothing was quite as comforting as sharing warmth beneath a blanket, a hot drink in each of their hands, and grandmother telling stories by the fireside. So warm there. And yet, where was his warmth again?

Haruka vaguely recognized that he was surrounded by cold, the reindeer’s rhythmic pace he had known now only resided in his ears as he heart beat slowed. He let himself close his eyes to listen to it as the snow began to claim him. Above him, the reindeer reared in a panic, unable to return his precious cargo to his back.

A hand reached out to calm the reindeer. A figure in thick leathers hushed him, running a soothing hand along his jaw until it came to rest upon his muzzle.

“You reek of Rin’s magic. It was not hard to recognize you even in all this snow. Sousuke, what brings you here?”

Sousuke shook from her grasp, turning to the child in the snow. _“I have been given a task to deliver this child. He bore Rin’s ring and freed me from man’s grasp. It is my heart’s intent to see him safe from these lands, but he desires only to save that which the Queen holds captive.”_

“Yes, I also can detect my brother’s magic lingering upon him. His journey has been long. Quick, we must bring him to my cabin before night steals his heat.”

The figure quickly undid her own coat, pulling it off to reveal cascading locks of red. She pulled Haruka from the snow and into her arms, wrapping him in her magicked garments. Settling him upon Sousuke’s shoulders, she climbed on as well and urged Sousuke forward. The trio hastily fled the scene.

\---

A woman’s soft song returned Haruka to consciousness. He lay in a simple bed with covers tucked up to his chin. The residence was small but brightly lit. A woman sat upon a wooden chair, needlework consuming her attention. Behind her, the reindeer lay with its legs tucked neatly beneath it. Haruka pushed himself up, feeling stiff but comfortably warm.

_“So he finally wakes.”_

“No need to be rude, Sousuke.”

The woman looked up then and offered Haruka a smile. She was beautiful with long flowing red hair and shining eyes. She left her place by the fire to rest a hand upon his forehead.

“It seems your fever has gone down. The snow near claimed you. Lucky to have made such strong friends in your travels else you would know death long before this day. Do you prefer fish stew or salted beef?”

Haruka watched as the woman easily spoke, moving gracefully despite the heavy layers she wore. She grabbed a bowl and filled it with whatever was bubbling upon the fire. Returning to his side, she pressed a spoon to his mouth and he gratefully began to eat. He had wanted the fish stew, and the way her eyes crinkled led him to believe that she had known his wish. Reclining back with a full stomach, Haruka watched her wash the dish and put it away. Taking her place at the fire again, she took up her needle and continued her patterned stitch.

“So what has my brother been up to? I trust you know him for it is his ring you wear.”

“You are Rin’s sister?” Haruka asked, surprisingly comfortable in speaking to her.

“Yes. He is my elder by two years. You wouldn’t know it though, the way he can tantrum. We are the last of the Matsuoka family to have magic. He uses his on gardens of eternal summer while I am stuck maintaining the balance of the seasons. Ever reliable Kou am I.”

The reindeer, Sousuke Haruka assumed, laughed softly.

“He was tending a garden, but didn’t like being alone,” Haruka attempted to summarize, choosing to omit the enchantments that had been cast.

“Indeed,” Kou confirmed, turning to meet Sousuke’s eye. “You really ought to return to him. As a familiar, it is your duty to guide him.”

 _“I have other duties to attend to. Our time will come,”_ Sousuke responded. Turning to Haruka he continued, _“Boy, we must press on.”_

“Agreed. Her storm grows.” Kou gave her a work a last look over before snipping the thread and standing up. She gathered Haruka’s garments from where they hung by the fire and helped him into them. She finished the ritual by securing her craft upon his head. It was a new hood, simple in design but somehow stirring a tickle at the base of his spine that cleared any residue of sleep that may have lingered.

“This is all I can give at this time. You alone may enter her palace. My magic has no strength there, and Sousuke will be unable to follow.”

She ushered them to the door, opening it to reveal a world of white. Sousuke stepped out, but Haruka hesitated. Turning around, he slipped the ring from his finger and placed it upon her palm. “Thank you for helping me,” was all he could think to say before turning and facing the snow.

Sousuke bent down, and Haruka scrambled on top again. Kou waved one last time before Sousuke dove forward and resumed his practiced pace. No desire to sleep threatened Haruka. Choosing to look straight ahead, his eyes were intent upon the horizon. Only snow lay between them now.

Sousuke dashed forward at a rapid gallop, long legs leaping through the snow. The occasional ice patch resulting in an echoing clack across the landscape. The howl of winter crescendoed as they flew forward. As the winds grew ever more bitter, Haruka took that to mean he was that much closer.

It started small in the distance, but soon Haruka found his mouth gaping as he stared upon the frozen spires of the Snow Queen’s Palace. Crystaled ice shone like a beacon of terror, reflecting the surrounding snow and coloring the structure an ethereal white. It stood tall like a tormentor taunting them as each step forward increased in difficulty. Snow came down in sheets like fingernails clawing at his skin. Pellets of ice struck him with the accuracy of a trained archmen. Haruka only tightened his hold however. Finding comfort despite the pain. Knowing that it meant that they were headed exactly where he was needed. Though his lips began to bleed, they pressed forward.

The castle now towered over them. Haunting in its beauty while promising death to any who entered. Sousuke fell from a gallop to a trot, finally coming to a full stop at the foot of a great staircase. Hot breath bellowed from him, his voice unsteady as he instructed Haruka to dismount.

_“I can go no further. As a creature of magic, I cannot trespass beyond this point.”_

Haruka nodded his understanding. Sliding down and facing the beautiful snow beast, Haruka attempted to reassure him, “This is not good-bye. I will return with Makoto, and then it will be time to go home.”

_“It is a wonder that She has no hold over you. Even I can feel Her presence. Be careful, child.”_

Haruka nodded again, and turned to begin his assent to the palace entrance.

Each step seemed to thin the air. Breathing felt increasingly less productive as the insides of his lungs seemed to line in ice with each inhale. There was no door, so Haruka did not bother to knock. However, upon taking his first step within, the wind’s roar was instantly silenced without an echo. The only sound he could distinguish now was of his own heavy breathing and the clack of his boots on the ice.

He wandered down the halls, walls of ice towering above him. All surfaces shone polished smooth, not a speck of dirt nor wood could be seen. He followed corridor after long corridor without a single window to offer up some sort of orientation. He attempted to scratch some sort of marker into the ice, but all efforts culminated in the loss of feeling in his fingertips.

Haruka fell to the ground. The thin air made him feel light headed and heavy limbed. Leaning heavily forward upon his hands, he stared into his reflection upon the glimmering ice floor. The one who stared back was hardly recognizable. Ice dulled his dark hair, purple circles weighed down his eyes, his nose was blown raw, and his lips were cracked and pale. Perhaps Makoto would not even be able to recognize him. Oh, how this journey had changed him! Would he even know Makoto, if given the chance? That night so long ago, in just an instant after his heart was pricked, Makoto was no longer himself. Perhaps Haruka had already passed him here. Perhaps his very soul, having been frozen over, meant he might have become another wall of this icy palace. Perhaps he could see Haruka now and not even know him.

A tear fell from his face, blurring his glistening image. He was so close, but this castle was unyielding. There were no helpful crows here or mysterious sorcerers. No sympathizing royalty or lost robber boy. Not even his grandmother’s shawl to wrap himself up in. He was alone in this place, and Makoto was not here.

“ _Here… Here!”_

Haruka opened his eyes. He knew that voice. Had returned its call all his life.

_“Here!”_

He could feel it beneath his hands. He yanked off his boots and stood up bare footed. He could feel it beneath his toes.

The water was here. It called him. It pulled at his ankles and gurgled around him. Ice and snow were but water frozen. No less alive then the brook back home, only sleeping now. His tear had awoken it and now it called him.

_“Here! Here!”_

He let the current pull him forward, like a heartbeat beneath the ice it came in waves of voices.

_“Here! Here! Here!”_

He ran unlike any time in his life. His toes were propelled forward, as if the ground itself sprung up beneath his step. The walls were as nondescript as before, but with each turn the voices grew. His lungs burned and he near fell forward with the momentum, but one last corner revealed his heart’s desire.

“Makoto!”

The hall opened up to a great room of ice. It was furnished with children’s toys and shelves of books all frosted white. In the middle of the room sat a figure dressed just as he was that fateful night. He remained unmoving as Haruka ran to him chanting his name.

Falling down to his knees, Haruka drew his friend into his arms. He near shrieked in surprise as Makoto felt like cold stone beneath his fingers. He hurriedly took Makoto’s face into his hands, brushing frozen hair from his eyes. They shone back as lifeless as the ice around them. Not a hint of green could be seen in his half-lidded eyes.

“Makoto! Makoto!” Haruka called, rocking his friend back and forth. “Its me! Its your Haru-chan! Wake up! Lets go back home…”

Silence was his answer and Haruka was left crushed.

“No, please….”

He drew his friend close, pressing himself forehead to forehead. His anguished sob echoed throughout the castle. If not for his tears, he might have counted the freckles that decorated Makoto’s cheeks. Followed the familiar line of his upturned eyebrows. Memorized the calluses of his hands. Adored him with every particle of his being. But the times of gratitude and longing were over.

Makoto had been lost.

And Haruka mourned.

Tears ran freely down his face as his soul crumbled. All the pain he had endured until now did nothing to prepare him for the sorrow that blared in his mind. How it gutted him hollow and left him without even the ability to think. He could only cry and hold his love tightly in his arms until another voice joined his call of grief.

A groan beneath him cut Haruka’s voice short. A small stirring and then some pressure on his chest forced him to relent his tight hold. Pulling away to see properly, he rubbed the tears from his eyes that he may finally see that familiar droopy gaze and soft smile.

“Haruka…”

Makoto’s voice was a whisper, but his expression grew relaxed as the pink returned to his cheeks.

“You’re so warm. Its like… my heart is melting. Did you do this?”

Haruka surged forward, pressing his lips to Makoto’s. Makoto managed a soft giggle as his arms enfolded his friend.

“Come now, Haru-chan. Your lips are horribly chapped. Lets go and see if Grandmother has something for you.”

Haruka laughed as he let himself lean back and just take in his friend. Those green eyes shone back at him unparalleled in beauty by any sight he had seen on his journey. As the seconds passed, he found himself lost in everything that was his best friend.

This was his Makoto. How he wanted to both sing and scream his joy, but most of all to just hold him for as long as possible. A question crinkled his friend’s nose and Haruka struggled to pull himself together to answer.

“Welcome back.”

“I’m home.”

Hand in hand, they walked out of the palace. The snow had ceased and the winds were silenced. It seemed the Queen Herself had lost all power over them. Sousuke met them at the base of the stairs, stopping for a moment only to take in the sight and marvel.

Then they were off. Makoto laughed as the wind stole his breath and Haruka in turn also found it hard to breath as his friend held him close. They bounded across the northlands at such a speed, it was as if they had wings. The snow quickly released the land of its hold and the forests burst with green as they rode passed. The call of two crows serenaded them, their cast shadows dancing upon the path ahead. The pattern of night and day seemed to pulse with their hearts and then just as abruptly, they were home.

Haruka easily slid off the back of the winter beast, Makoto following quickly after. Sousuke shook his head roughly from side to side until he was released of his winter coat, and stood proudly now as man. He gave them his best wishes, and they returned it with grateful hearts. Then too was he gone. Surely to follow the river to a gardened home.

Familiar mountains stood tall before them. To the east, a quiet village not yet stirring in the morning light. And over the hill, two houses with a brook running between them.

“Aw look, Haru! The cherry blossoms are blooming!” Makoto called excitedly, running forward to spy a better view. Haruka settled with a light jog in pursuit of his friend. He found Makoto standing beneath boughs of pink blossoms, a hand reaching up to pick a single flower. He watched as Makoto twirled it between his index finger and thumb thoughtfully.

“Haru… I don’t remember being able to reach the flowers,” Makoto wondered quietly, the flower continuing to dance between his fingers. “We’ve changed, haven’t we?”

Haruka took the offered flower and tucked it behind his own ear.

“Not all has changed, Makoto,” Haruka stepped forward, lacing their fingers together. Makoto hummed softly in response.

Because just as spring had bloomed so had their hearts opened to--

* * *

 

The sharp groan of the door drew Haru from the story. He turned to find Makoto at the bedroom door looking shocked then embarrassed. Sighing, he let himself in; green parka clicking against the doorframe.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“There was no interruption. We’re done,” Haru responded before standing up to stretch and then walking over to return the book back to its place on the shelf. Makoto moved towards him and proceeded to trip over a toy car. He caught himself on a dresser, an exclamation caught between tight lips as his siblings slept sprawled out among their pillows on the floor. Haru stifled a smile, hiding his amusement by bending down to gather Ran from the floor and tuck her into her bed. Makoto followed suit with Ren, trying to more carefully orchestrate a route through the children’s mess. With Ren and Ran in their beds, Makoto and Haru turned off the light and stepped into the hall.

“Where are your parents?” Haru asked quietly, heading to Makoto’s room to gather his things.

“Already in bed. I told them I would help you home.”

“I’m fine,” Haru said as he watched Makoto attempt to stifle a yawn. Makoto shrugged, grabbing Haru’s jacket from the hook and holding it up for him to slip into. Haru relented and stepped into Makoto arms for just moment. As he zipped himself up, he had to bite back another grimace as Makoto shouldered his bag and opened the door for him.

Makoto met Haru’s sour expression with a smile.

They walked silently down the stairs, slipped on their shoes, and were out the door.

Haru was surprised to find it snowing outside. A light dusting already accumulating on the Tachibana’s small lawn. Makoto opened the gate, and they stepped down to the path separating their houses.

It was an easy two flights of stairs before they were outside Haru’s empty home. Makoto paused outside the front door as he watched Haru fish out the spare key from beneath one of the garden stones. With a small click, the door was unlocked. Haru failed to open it however as a cold hand wrapped around his own.

“I’m really thankful that you watched the kids, Haru…” Makoto began. Haru stubbornly kept his eyes forward though Makoto’s voice in his ear made him shiver. “But I really wish you could have come. Toyko is so big. It was only three days, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how empty it felt. It really made me miss this.”

Makoto’s hand squeezed Haru’s for a moment. And when he let go, Haru’s heart ached. Makoto’s nervous laugh filled the air with frosted breath, and Haru begged his knees not to give out from beneath him.

“I guess, before we call it a night… Could you tell me how that story ends?”

“You were eavesdropping.”

“You were telling it so well. I wanted to know what happened next.”

Haru listened to the even breaths behind him. Though the chill bit his nose, his mind was drowning in Makoto’s scent and he struggled to remember how the story ended.

“They realized that spring had come, and that the journey had changed them.”

“Mmm, it seems so.”

“And that…” Haru took a deep breath in, his mind a fog as he tried to finish his sentence. The warmth that called behind him affecting his ability to speak. “And that they were very much in love.”

“Thats a nice ending,” Makoto hummed, shifting his weight in preparation to open the door. “Its cold, you should head in--”

“I’m not done!” Haru gasped before spinning around to pull Makoto’s lips to meet his.

It wasn’t their first kiss, but Haru took to the motions with a new vigor that had Makoto racing to keep up. When they broke for breath, Haru tucked himself more firmly into Makoto’s arms, his head resting upon his shoulder. “I don’t want you to go. Not now and not to Tokyo,” He managed between heavy breaths.

Makoto pressed a kiss to his temple. “I missed you too, Haru-chan.”

Haru pushed himself up to meet Makoto again, this time taking things slow. Enjoying the contrast as snowflakes made contact with his skin and Makoto pressing hot against his lips. When they broke apart again, Makoto leaned back to better compose himself. Slowing down with long, deep breaths, Makoto continued.

“Let's go together. See if any of those scouts from last summer were from Tokyo. Even if it’s not the same school, we could always take the trains.”

Haru’s grip tightened on Makoto’s parka, but his heart beat steady now as Makoto spoke. The idea of taking the first real step towards his dream was daunting, but the thought of a future without Makoto had him burying himself again into the other’s embrace.

“What do you think? Do you want to try this together?” Makoto whispered, running a hand up and down Haru’s back.

Haru closed his eyes and let himself imagine this new story. There may not be snow queens or swords and sorcery. No helpful animal friends or secret pasts. But he had no doubt that the people who would arrive at the end of this story would be different from who they were today. He looked up then to take in Makoto’s expression. His eyes shone earnest but patient. Even more so, brimming with love. Haru knew that wouldn’t change no matter the journey.

So he took Makoto’s hand in his, slowly placing a kiss on each knuckle. Then he looked up and let his heart bend his lips into a smile.

Makoto returned it tenfold. They quickly entered the house to be rid of the cold. Makoto grabbed the laptop and Haru made some tea. Outside the snow continued to fall silently through the night, but the future shone bright before them as they huddled together under a blanket with hot drinks in hand. Hearts racing as they began researching schools and swim programs.

Tokyo loomed threatening in a way the Snow Queen never could, but now they would walk this new journey together.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my fanfic!
> 
> The request was for holiday fun, and I delivered winter angst. Sorry! Happy holiday stories are difficult for me to write. After months of thinking, I found inspiration in Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen". I like to think the two narratives reflect each other.
> 
> If you enjoyed, a kudo or comment would be much appreciated!
> 
> I also have several other works here on AO3 from previous Free! events that might interest you. Otherwise, you can find me on tumblr (@ExquisiteWallflower) and twitter (@EternalDarkEyes).


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